The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.

Saturday, January 16, 2021

Puerto Princesa Airfield, Palawan Island, Philippines-- Part 1: Built By American POWs With Crushed Corals for Illuminating Night Landings

From Wikipedia.

Puerto Princesa International Airport, the field on which Dan Crowley worked on as a prisoner of the Japanese is still there  and in operation.  It also serves as the main gateway to the Puerto Princesa Underground River, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Nature.

The airport was built by American POWs during World War II from August 1942 to September 1944.  It was used to accommodate large Japanese transport aircraft in addition to the large grass airstrip south of  it.

The airstrip was constructed by hand by the POWs using crushed corals that also illuminated night landings.  The finished airfield had an area of 7,200 feet by 675 feet with two runways.

--GreGen


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